Nicole Pyles, blogger for World of My Imagination is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

For writing, books, and everything else in my imagination.

21 June 2016

I feel like June is a great time to dig out the dusty resolutions and re-evaluate them. So for me, there's a few on the list that I've long since forgotten. For one, this story I promised myself I'd get published this year, I'm ready to move onto other things for a while. Well, I got too deep in the editing and revising weeds and lost sight of whether or not the story was any good so I need a healthy step backwards.

Then I'm in need of some exercise which also means I'm in need of some better walking shoes. I'm thinking about these New Balance shoes or these Naturalizer shoes.

I kind of accomplished an unintentional resolution! I refamiliarized myself with some of the books in my bookshelf. I haven't read so many in so long that I felt like I fell in love with so many old favorites again. I kept saying to myself, "I forgot that book! Ooh! Ahhh! I forgot THAT one! Oooh! Ahh!" So I re-read a huge amount. That was pretty awesome! Now I have plucked out the ones that I should probably donate or try to sell. And that is a resolution for part two of 2016.

My blog. Oh how I've neglected the blogging community I once enjoyed so much. I don't really know where to begin to resolve anything there, but maybe starting with one normal post a week. Today I knocked out a couple, that does make me feel better about things. I once read that a writing blog can do more harm than good for a writer. See, once you get to talking about writing than it can feel more fun to talk about writing than to write. Well, I'm not sure I agree with that anymore so I'm going to see if I can pick up the steam on this and talk about the writing I'm not doing enough of with the community I've lost sight of. I hate that I ended with a preposition by the way.

Have you thought about what your resolutions were this year? What were they? Did you accomplish them at all?

This post contains sponsored links for which I received small compensation for including them in my post.

20 June 2016

Don't you hate when you are writing a story and the little worm that's the inner critic peers at your story and goes, "You're kidding right?" It'll start to rattle off all the reasons the story won't work. If THAT doesn't stop you, than it starts to remind you of all the things you should be focusing on that isn't THAT story.

So that's when I seek out my muse which is tragically easily intimidated by the site of the inner critic (the anti-muse). But you know there are a few things that I find helps improve the strength of my muse in order to battle the inner critic.1) Get exercise.

Lately it seems like the best approach to clear my head, which in turn, clears out that inner critic, is going for a walk. I head outside. Luckily this weather is suitable these days to clear my head - it's cool but not too hot - and since I can't afford to find a fitness instructor these days - it's also a good way for me to get exercise. I'm sure the wellness and fitness community in my heart appreciate my efforts to exercise!

2) Just go ahead and obsess on those worries for a while.

Once I listed out all of the things plaguing my mind these days and you know the second I did that, I felt better. I let myself obsess for a while and actually I've kept those list of worries and when the anti-muse hits, I'll look over those worries for a while and drop off that anti-muse onto THAT page and go back to the story I was writing before.

3) Be flippant.

The anti-muse may taunt and say that your first draft isn't any good, but you know what? All of the writing advice that I hear tells you that it's okay for your first draft to be crummy. As I write, I tell this to the anti-muse and it humphs and pouts and storms off.

So these days those are my three tactics for battling against my inner critic. What are yours?

This post contains sponsored links for which I received small compensation for including in my post.